The Washington critic., 1887-07-28
W ASHINGTON CRITIC
WASHINGTON, JULY %, 1887.
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

1t is said that Mrs. Langtry Is now
spending her time iu sort of rctreatin
San Francisco for two specific pur.
poses. The first is that she has discov.
cred that by remaining there for Ger.
tain length Of time she can get rid of
Mr.. Langtry. The other object of her
retiring from the world to devote her.
self TO study and reflection Is the per-
fection OF some new manner of dressing
her hair which will be as effective as
was the dear, departed "Langtry
coiffure." When she returns she will
have some method OF folding up her
chestnut locks that will be easy to imi-
tate, becoming and fashionable at once.
She herself has promised 1t, and her
entire mind Is being bent toward the
ful6llment Of II.
One thing about Langtry's head. dress
1t Is always difficult to initiate, says the
same writer, and that is the exquisite
chestnut brown of her silky locks.
characteristic English hair, that forms
the most perfect foil TO the pink-and-
white English skin. Some approach
to this shade can be obtained by bath
ing the hair frequently In lukewarm
water, to which half teaspoonful of
hartshorn has been added. 1t gives the
hair an auburn tinge, and makes II
very light and fluffy, but 1t ruins It in
the long run, taking away all its life
and drying up the natural oil of the
scalp. The only hair dye that Is
known which does not injure the hair
Is that used by the Persian women,
weak solution OF henna. In
Persia only one shade of hair is
known and that one artificial. No
matter what may be the color of
child's hair, and there are even blondes
there sometimes, as soon as II attains
to convenient length 1t Is dyed with
henna and kept dyed as long as she
lives. The shade they desire to obtain
Is one that naturally Is as rare as 1t Is
beautiful-the sort OF color which
when In shadow is absolutely dark, but
when the suns rays st.ike II all the
salient points turn to reddish gold.
~
An English physician, DR.. Westcott
by name, has written rather enter
tanning little book on the subject Of
suicide. According to him, says "By-
stander of the Philadelphia Nens.
hanging is the most prominent means
of suicide. Drowning comes next.
Women are especially fond Of watery
graves, for some reason or other. Peo.
pie have also killed themselves by
voluntary starvation, eating horse hair
and swallowing pennies. The impress.
sion is general that the gloomy months
of the year are those In which the
majority of suicides occur. Statistics,
however, completely reverse this opin.
Ion and show that 1t is In the two
brightest and most beautiful months,
May and June, that the greatest mum.
Der of self distinctions occur. In the
large class Of suicides proceeding from
disappointment and misery, the very
contrast between the beauty of nature
and the state Of mind Of the sufferer must
In many cases be unbearable and pre-.
cipitate the fatal act. Here are some
figures obtained short time ago from
Coroner Ashbridge In regard to deaths
from suicide in Philadelphia last year
Business troubles, 15; chagrin at
parental discipline, 4; destitution, g.;
dissipation, 10; political disappoint-
ment, q family trouble, 81; insanity,
1S; love trouble, 8; sickness, 8.
~
On one occasion, says the Chicago
Mail, Colonel Pat Donan was a guest
at the home Of Senator Beck of Ken
lucky. The Senator has beautiful
and cultivated daughter whom he calls
Beckie. She is his hope. and a bril-
liant in any social setting. On the oc-
casion Of Donan's visit to the Beck
mansion there were the oifshoots of the
blood of the State-Breckenridgcs,
Magofflns, Buckners, Carlyles. Donan
talked as he never talked before. And
when he had gone Beckie said to her
father; Papa, l believe Donan is the
man who wrote the four gospels. ="
Beck has been telling that about Donau
ever since. Two months ago the writer
met Donan on Monroe street, and for
the first time In the writer's knowledge
of the man he seemed under a cloud.
II am going to leave Chicago" he
said. II am going to Virginia and
stay there. In that country, where the
people have a tradition that Is like q
story, where they live for one another
and expect to die In heap and go to
Heaven in one chariot. You people OF
Chicago are too commercial for me.
go into mansion on one of your south
side avenues and the host entertains mt
with talk on hog. His daughter
comes In and plays and sings about tht
hog. hear nothing but hog wherever
! go. hear nothing but the dollar
the trademark on the hog. You
preach hog, talk hog, sing hog, pray
hog and sleep hog, and when you die
you will go to some celestial pork. pack
Ing land on the back of hog" Ther
he sailed away-he doesn't walk, bu
he floats through the air-and wen
South. There he preached the glorie;
of Chicago and the breezes of the lake
Damage of the Flood.
I,.I.,